#87 De Ryck

This is another beer that I'll report briefly to include it in the count, but it doesn't deserve much more than that.   It's a Belgian pale ale that comes in an ugly bottle.

Appearance: Red/brown amber.  Light bit of white head.
Nose: Hardly anything.  Subtle dry fruit notes.  A bit of apricot.
Palate: Bland.  Bready.

That's it, not very good.  4 out of 10

#86 Moonlight Brewing - Old Combine

Old Combine comes from Moonlight Brewing is a little brewery up in Santa Rosa which distributes only locally and only in kegs.  They are probably most well known for their popular black lager, Death and Taxes.  Old Combine is another lager of theirs, which is brewed with barley, wheat, oats and rye.
It might make a good session sipper; only 5% ABV, and a pale golden color.
Appearance:  Pale golden.  Hazy.  Thin white head, good lacing.
Nose:  Grassy and floral hops.
Palate:  Spicy rye bite.  Nice light hop bittering.  Big carbonation.  Slight lager yeast sour notes.
This beer has a medium/high body, the only thing that might keep it out of the session category.  I nice beer, but wasn't exceptional to me.
7 out of 10 

#85 De Ranke Noir de Dottignies

Here's a Belgian Dark Ale that's terrific.  De Ranke Noir de Dottignies is made in the village of Dottignies in the southwest of Belgium.  It's a very new brewery, especially by Belgian standards.  They brewed their first batch in 1994.

Appearance:  True to it's name, Black.  Totally opaque with a lingering creamy head.
Nose:  Maple, oak, earthy spice nose.  Notes of licorice and coffee.
Palate:  Malty bitterness and dark sweetness work together for exceptional balance and complexity.  Finishes dry after caramely sweetness on the front palate.  Good hop bitterness to balance.

It was not until I had tasted and decided that I really liked this beer that I realized where I remember De Ranke from.  They produced one of the few other 9 out of 10 ratings in this blog.  And today they get another 9 from me.

#84 Victory - Prima Pils

This is the second beer from Victory that I've ever drunk, as well as the second featured in this blog.  Loyal readers will remember Yakima Glory from late January.  It was a pretty good little pint.  This one I picked up bottled from Beer Revolution.
It's a German style Pils, clocking in at 5.3%ABV. 

Looks: It's bright, electric yellow.  I don't think I'v ever seen a beer quite this color.  It has a big bubbly white head with good lacing.
Smells: Hop aromas are floral and citrusy.
Tastes: Fairly crisp and tingly on the palate, with classic, sour yeasty lager notes.  Velvety mouthfeel with much more body than I'm used to in a pilsner.  

Overall, this beer is good.  But it was a bit too full bodied.  To me a pils should be light crisp and refreshing, characteristics which this one didn't really have.  A pretty good beer, maybe just a bit mis-labeled.
6 out of 10

#83 Oakland Brewing Company - Sticky Zipper Imperial IPA

Also at the festival was Oakland Brewing Company, a brewery on the end of the 'established' spectrum exactly opposite Sierra Nevada.  The crest on their website and business card reads 'est. 2009', but in the past two years, this was certainly the first time I'd had the chance to taste OBC.
The notes I took on this beer are scrawled on the back of the business card, so excuse me if these tasting notes are vague or incomplete.  I wanted to include this beer, not to increase my beer count, but to give young Oakland Brewing Company the shout tout they deserve.  (as If my massive readership will help their bottom line.)

Appearance:  Yellow and hazy, head went unrecorded.
Nose: Dusty and dry hop notes, very intriguing.
Palate: The flavors are fresh and herbal hops, with sharp spicy bitterness and a nice malt body balancing.

As I said, vague.  I plan on seeing about trying it again tonight at Beer Revolution.  Maybe an update/second opinion are in order on this one.
I made a point of scratching out notes on this one though because I remember loving it so well.  I give it an 8 out of 10.  Keep up the great work OBC!

#82 Sierra Nevada - Estate Ale

My brother and dad and I made our way out to the Bay Area Craft Beer Festival.  It was a decent, fledgling festival with lots of good beer from around the area.  They have a good deal of kinks to work out before next time, but they're on the right track.  I'd tasted most of the beers offered at the festival, but came upon a few new gems:

John, Jack & I posing for pics at the festival with a chatty, inebriated wingnut.

Sierra Nevada was not offering tastes of a pale ale in a green bottle, but they were offering their Estate Ale, a beer made exclusively of ingredients produced at Sierra Nevada's Chico estate.

Appearance: Crisp clear amber beer, a modicum of whitish head
Aroma: Subtle floral and spice hop aroma
Palate: Lovely floral flavor, Quite smooth and easy drinking, back palate bitterness, mouthwatering
Sharp bitter notes.

This is certainly a beer that harkens back to the old standby Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.  It's a bit sharper in it's hop bitterness than the original, but seemed a more refined, finished beer.  Very good! Highly recommended.
9 out of 10

A triumphant return to beer

Well ladies and gentlemen, here's the math:  I've blogged 81 beers this year.  Unfortunately there have been 144 days this year which puts me 63 beers back...  That is quite... a... few.
But fear not loyal reader (I'm not afraid) I'm still fully behind my goal of tasting and blogging 365 new beers this year.
I could blame my negligence on a lot of 'stuff' that's been going on, (I've been a father now since shortly after the time of my last post.  Total coincidence.) or on 'issues' I've encountered. (My cool black macbook quit and now I have to use my wife's prissy white one.)
But I won't.  I'll be the bigger man and tell you that both blogging and tasting beer are wayyyyy harder than simply hoisting a frosty pint.
The good news is, I have not stopped drinking and taking notes on beers in my down time.  Yes that's right I've got some 20 beers in my quiver waiting to hit the blog.  Still, looks like a long row to hoe.

Things I'm going to do differently now:
-Not worry about the concept of 'one a day'.  Just looking to hit the magic 365 figure (thank god it's not a leap year)
-Normalize my reviewing method in order to make posts quicker and easier to write.
-Start working out.  That really doesn't have a lot to do with the blog, I'm just becoming too much of a couch potato.


Things I've learned about my life vis-à-vis beer:
-Stout is my second favorite style. (after IPA)
-I like porters much more than I thought I did.
-Belgium makes both really great and really bad beer.
-I think Mikkeller is my new favorite brewer.
-Most of the time I type 'berr' and then have to hit backspace two times and try again.
-A good beer is really easy to find.
-A great beer is much harder to find.

I hope you will stick with me as I catch up and strive for 365 in 2011.
-T

Day 81, 3.22.11., Tournay Black - Belgian Stout

While stouts are quickly becoming one of my new favorite styles, Belgium is quickly becoming the nation of origin I'm most drinking.  So a Belgian stout ought to be perfect, right?
In other news, Lesley likes to buy me presents and she always picks good stuff.  Her newest find: a handsome new tasting glass!  Talk about a great wife.
Anyway, Tournay looks like the perfect stout.  It's black as night and has a fat foamy beige head.
The nose and palate of this beer are both extremely subtle.  on the nose, just a hint of ground coffee and dark roasty malty notes.  There's a tiny sherry aroma, and a fleeting bit of maple.
As I sip, I get a bit of brown sugar and a nice (albeit subtle again) bitter balance to the sugary malty body.
My second beef with this stout, after its lack of assertiveness in aroma and flavor, is the fact that it is quite thin.  It drinks more like a porter than a real stout.  All in all, it turned out a fairly disappointing beer for me.
7.6% ABV.  5 out of 10.

Day 80, 3.21.11., Goose Island - Demolition Golden Ale

Here is the last bottle of Goose Island I'll probably ever drink.  Let me explain.  Anheuser-Busch/InBev may be the beer Antichrist, and as of March 28th* they are also the new majority stake holders in Goose Island Brewing.  And as a general rule I don't contribute to A-B/InBev's coffers by spending my hard earned beer money on their crap.  And regardless of how good Goose Island's beer is or will be, I just can't support the whole thing.  [Rant now concluded]
I should say that I have really liked the three or so beers I've tried from Goose Island.
Demolition is a Belgian style golden ale.  It certainly IS golden and totally clear with a thinish head without a whole lot of lacing.
The nose offers dusty honey and floral notes, backed up by sour fruit, cherry especially. 
On the palate, the hops come across with a nice spice and a nice bitterness.  There are also some lemony citrus notes and floral hop flavor.  It's 7.2% ABV and 40 IBU.
I thought the beer was quite good.  The news about A-B/InBev left a bad taste in my mouth though.
7 out of 10.

*I know that this blog is dated 3.21.11., but it was actually written on 4.17.11., since I'm still so far behind in my blogging.

Day 79, 3.20.11., Westoek

Westoek is a Belgian Triple.  I don't know much about it, but I found it in a bottle and then I drank it.
It's cloudy and golden amber, and although it nearly leaped out of the bottle when I uncapped it, I found the head a little thin and fairly bubbly, especially for a Belgian ale.  The nose is slightly lambic-y with the sourish nose of brettanomyces making a strong presence.  The aromas are also musky with peppery and spice notes.  And if that's not enough, there are fruity hints as well; subtle banana and overripe apricot.
The palate is crisp and very effervescent, with bitter orange and sweet spice and cardamom.  I was a little surprised though.  Compared to the aroma, the flavor is almost boringly simple. 
Good not great.
7 out of 10.

Day 78, 3.19.11, Lagunitas - Hairy Eyeball

I think I can say I've loved 88% of the beers I've had from Lagunitas.  The Hairy Eyeball is a seasonal New Year release.  It's a beer that the brewers say 'defies style'.  I'd say it's a big brown, scotch ale-ish, barley wine-ish ale.  Beer Advocate calls it an American strong ale.

It's a copper/red amber ale With a big, thick and creamy off-white head.  It's got a really great nose with a lot of complexity going on.  There's dried plum and honey, as well as the aroma of white flowers.  I think it's a really pretty smelling beer.  In a god way.
As far as palate goes, it's definitely the most malt driven beer I've had from Lagunitas.  Those guys are certainly hop heads.  But this one is big and malty.  There's a hint of alcohol on the palate and just a touch of hop bitterness.
The body offers a butter or velvety texture, and the palate finishes with a little more honey and some sour orange.
So my track record with Lagunitas improves with this beer.  I'd say we're up to 90 or 91%.  Nice.
9% ABV.  8 out of 10.

Day 77, 3.18.11, Alaska Brewing - IPA

For whatever reason, I've long classified Alaska Brewing as one of those just ok micro brews. Maybe the fact that I can get the amber ale at Safeway is a turn off. Although I can get Lagunitas IPA there too. So maybe I'm being an elitist asshole.
At any rate I never really pay Alaska any attention. It gets no respect, no regard. But now that I've tried the IPA, will I change my tune?
Its a golden yellow beer, clear and crisp with a white creamy head. It has some lovely aromas of herbal hops,paired with musty, dusty earth. The body is in the medium to light range, and it offers a nice crisp finish.
As for flavor, the bitterness is subtle and resiny; not overbearing.  there are some really nice fresh floral herbal hop notes. Overall, I think it's a rather muted IPA, but perhaps I'm swayed by all the doubles and imperials I've sipped lately. It's actually a nice easy drinking IPA. I was pleasanly surprised.
7 out of 10

Day 76, 3.17.11., BrewDog - 5A.M. Saint

Iconoclastic amber ale, that's what the bottle told me. And I'm not to proud to say that I did look up the word 'iconoclastic' in order to better undrstand this beer. I can only assume that the point the BrewDog guys were attempting to make is that this beer topples the status quo of amber ales. And I think it could be argued that they have succeded in doing so. Only, I don't think it'll spur major change in religious tradition.
Don't even know where to turn for the 5A.M. Saint reference.
This really is an incredible amber ale though. It's amber brown with a big fluffy white head with good lacing.
The nose offers hints of plum and floral hop. There are ever some subtle hints of earth. A honey sweetness rounds out the aromas just perfectly.
On the palate, sweet malt character meets nice hop character for a balance that I feel is the brewers Holy Grail. It's lighter bodied than it appears too, with a nice mouthwatering finish.
A really tremendous easy drinking beer. And in an era when high alcohol and intense characteristics are king among brewers like BrewDog, it's a really nice change of pace to pick up a beer like 5A.M. Saint.
5.5%ABV, 9 out of 10.

Day 75, 3.16.11., Firestone Walker - Double Jack

Here's another that Derek insisted I try.  Twist my arm.
Firestone Walker hails from Paso Robles, Ca.  They've been operating since 1996 and they make some terrific beer.  The Double Jack is FW's Imperial IPA.
The beer is pale golden and crystal clear.  It has a thick white head with good lacing.  The aroma is all hop, with floral and spicy notes.
On the palate there are lemon and orange notes. There's a little hop flavor and a LOT of hop bitterness.  The body is big enough to balance out the big bitter punch.  There is also a definite detectable alcohol flavor; not surprising with an ABV of 9.5%
I think this is a good strong IPA, but I don't find it especially well rounded.
7 out of 10.

Day 74, 3.15.11., Pike Brewing - Naughty Nellie

In the past five years or so, I've really fallen in love with the Emerald City, Seattle Washington.  Every time I go there, I find something else great about it and every time, I make a stop at Pike Brewing and have a pint or three.  The setting can't be better, right among the Pike Street Market where downtown Seattle meets the Puget Sound.  And the beer?  Well it's real good.
Today I've got a 22 of Naughty Nellie.  The bottle calls it a golden artisan ale.  I call it a really tasty light and easy drinking ale with some real character.  It's just 5.5% ABV, and It's been one of the easiest tall bottles for me to finish in a while.
It's just as the label says, golden in color and slightly hazy.  It has a thin white head that dissipates fairly quickly.  The nose of this beer is absolutely lovely and the tasting notes of this beer sound more like a wine than a beer.  There are notes of white grape and honey as well as white flowers.  
On the palate, there is more honey offset by a subtle hop bitterness.  It's quite mild and mellow.  Definitely easy drinking, in fact, the palate falls a little flat after the intriguing nose. 
Really nice drinkin' beer.
8 out of 10

Day 73, 3.14.11., Monteith's - Black Beer

Lesley and I went to dinner the other night at ZuZu in Napa.  It's a tapas place.  We thought it was quite good, although the server was kinda weird.  But I drank a couple of beers there too.  The second one I had was my good old friend Saison Dupont.  But before that, I tried a beer from down New Zealand way.  It's called Monteith's Black Beer.

In the glass, this beer is... well... black.  It has a creamy lingering head and dark roasty malt aromas.  The palate is mild and lightly bittered.  It's medium bodied and has a really lovely velvety smooth mouth feel.
I don't think this is an overly complex beer but it's a very good easy drinking dark session beer.

7 out of 10

Day 72, 3.13.11., Uncommon Brewers - Baltic Porter

Here's another micro beer in a can.  Uncommon Brewers are located in Santa Cruz and list three beers on their website's list of brews.  I tried a can of the Baltic Porter.
In the glass it looks a lot like a stout. It's dark black and has a thick, creamy, beige head.
On the nose I picked up on a little smoke, a good amount of coffee beans, and a subtle hint of licorice.  Come to find out, the beer is brewed with licorice root and star anise.  Cool.  I like when my palate is confirmed.
The palate has strong hop character and bitterness.  Backing that is a good amount of brown sugar and some malty bitterness.  It's topped off though with that classic roasty dark malt character.
The body of the beer I found a little too thin.
I originally gave the Baltic Porter a six of ten, but then I realized it was too cold.  Once it warmed up to about 55º, the flavors were much more cohesive.
7 out of 10

Day 71, 3.12.11., Mikkeller - I Hardcore You

If you follow this blog closely, you'll know I've taken a real shine to Mikkeller.  Now, Mikkeller has joined up with BrewDog for an Imperial IPA.  So if you also know about my love for IPAs and my growing interest in BrewDog, then you and I will agree that I Hardcore You may just be my personal beer trifecta!   

(Since I have yet to blog a beer from BrewDog, here is 107 words on them: 
BrewDog is a Scottish brewery started by two 24 year old dudes in 2006.  They make myriad beers mostly in classic styles, but with innovations and twists that are more often seen out here in the Pacific Coast brewing world, than in the more traditional European model.  For instance, the first time I heard of BrewDog was in Portland on my bachelor party trip when my brothers and buddies and I tried their Paradox bourbon cask aged imperial stout.  I remember it was awesome, intense and way over priced at the fancy restaurant we had dinner at.  Don't remember much more.  What?  It was my bachelor party.)

I have to say though, that this one was a little disappointing.  The problem is not that the beer is not good, it is good, but I've come to expect amazing from Mikkeller.  
This beer is golden red and fairly clear.  It's pretty thick and viscous.  It has Big bold resiny hop aroma and flavor and strong bitterness.  I called this one a 7 of 10.  Here's why: it's quite unbalanced.  The only balance to the big hop punch was the full body.  But there is really not much maltyness or sweetness.  
I still love Mikkeller but this, I thought, was not their best.

Day 70, 3.11.11., Avery duganA IPA

Derek came up from San Diego and brought me some beers. This was one That he ranted and raved about, so I was excited to try it; Avery duganA IPA.
It's orange and cloudy with a thick foamy head. Not surprisingly, the nose on this IPA is all about hops. The hop aroma is the dry hop type, that is fresh and flowery and green. Dry hopping, by the way, is the process of adding hops tothe finished wort (unfermented, sweet beer)after the boil process is complete and allowing the hop character to infuse cold into the beer. It's a process that is common among IPAs and the hop aroma in duganA is precisely the goal of dry hopping. And although I don't know for certain that dry hopping is involved in this beer, my spidey sense tells me it is. Back to the beer.
The nose also has notes of bitter orange and some dank wet pine notes too.
The palate is full of Bitter, sticky hop flavor. It's a full bodied beer with lots of
piney resiny hoppieness. This beer has bitterness on top of bitterness.
In my mind, IPAs come in two types: the fresh, floral, herbal, crisp, light kind and the sticky, resiny, thick, piney kind. This one is definitely the second one.
8.5% ABV 93 IBU
7 out of 10

Day 69, 3.10.11., 21st Amendment - Monk's Blood

Here's a special release from 21st Amendment.  Monks Blood is a Belgian dark ale brewed with candi sugar, vanilla, figs and cinnamon and aged in oak.  I picked up a can for my ferry ride a while back... Yeah, I've got a backlog of beers to tell you about.  Stay tuned.
Anyway, back to the Monk's Blood.  This is a big old dark Belgian with a full creamy body and a bubbly beige head.  It's a beautiful dark chocolate brown.
On the nose, the fig sure comes through with nice notes of dried dark fruit and some earthy hints.
This beer has a very nice malty sweetness offset by a good hop character.  The oak comes through as well along with more nice earthy notes.  It culminates with a nice lingering mouthwatering finish.
This is really an intriguing beer with a lot of interesting stuff going on.  Solid, interesting beers in cans coming from 21st as usual.  worth a try!
8.3% ABV, 34 IBU
7 out of 10.

Day 68, 3.9.11., Hair of the Dog - Fred

Here's a beer from Portland Oregon Hair of the Dog Brewing Comany's Fred.  The bottle tells me it's a 'golden special ale' that's 10% alcohol by volume.  It's 65 IBU.  Hair of the Dog also seems to take a lot of pride in making bottle conditioned beers, meaning that a secondary fermentation happens in the bottle and carbonates the beer naturally.  It shows in Fred, with a little sediment.  It's cloudy and pale golden with a big fluffy white head that lingers.
The bottle also tells me that the brewer uses pilsner malt and rye as well as Belgian candy sugar and northwestern hops in this beer.  The hops are immediately evident on the nose.  The come through fruity and herbal.  There are citrus notes as well as some banana.  The palate is, for some reason, nothing like I expected it to be.  Firstly it's quite sweet, definitely a result of the candy sugar.  There are caramel notes as well as some subtle spice.  This is all backed up by some really delicate hop flavors and some bold bitterness.
Fred has quite a full, rich body too.  It's a little decieving for this pale beer.
They call it a 'special' beer, and it certainly is.  It's very unique, and there is a ton going on.  There are lots of interesting subtle flavors.
Definitely not a daily drinker for me, but a fun study in beer.  I'd give it a 7 out of 10.

Day 67, 3.8.11., Moylan's - IPA

Also over at Moylan's, I tried the IPA.  Sometimes I feel that trying s brewery's plain old IPA is a good way to evaluate the brewery as a whole.  In Moylan's case it was hard to pass up the double IPA and a triple IPA, but the good news is, there are 299 more days to give those a try.

The IPA is crisp golden and clear.  It has a light foamy white head.  The nose is really nice with big floral herbal hops.  It's very fresh and green.
On the palate, there's some mild meyer lemon notes, as well as a fair amount of malt backing.  The malt character creates a nice contrast to the beers sharp peppery bitterness.  It's fairly intense without being too unbalanced.
A nice easy drinking, well bittered IPA.
6.5% ABV
7 out of 10

Day 66, 3.7.11., Moylans - Dragoon's Irish dry stout

Moylan's is a brew pub over there in Novato.  We stopped by after my brother's art opening, which is also going on over there in Novato.  The brewpub is in a sort of stripmall area, next to a Carl's Jr.  It's better on the inside.

I tried a pint of their Dragoon's Irish Dry Stout.  It's a dark black, opaque beer with a light amount of beige head.  On the nose, there are roasty buttery notes.  Sweet wine and sherry aromas are in there too.
The palate has some interesting chalky minerality as well as more roasty dark malt flavor.  And just as the name promises, the beer finishes delightfully dry.
The one rather negative part of this beer is it's thin body.  The mouthfeel is not much bigger than a pale ale or even pilsner.
Pretty good.
8% ABV
6 out of 10

Day 65, 3.6.11., Green Flash, Double Stout

The next beer we tried at The Warehouse was Green Flash Double Stout.  Green Flash is located in one of the best beer cities in California, and even the US, San Diego.  I've tried one of their other beers, West Coast IPA, and It sealed my positive opinion of this brewery.
The Double Stout is an awesome beer.  Incredibly complex, delicious, wonderful!  I give it a 9 out of 10.  Here's why:
The beer poured dark black and opaque.  It's thick as motor oil and with a thick beige head that offers good lacing once it slowly recedes.  Good start.  The nose has coffee and bitter cocoa notes, and then a surprising malted barley aroma.  It is not a roasted or dark malt aroma, but the aroma of fresh, dry, pale malt.  It's not an aroma I've experienced in a stout before, but it's an interesting and intriguing surprise.
This beer has a lovely rich creamy body and velvety mouth-feel, paired with it's chocolaty flavors and terrific maltyness.  I love this stout.  Highly recommended!
8.8% ABV, 45 IBU

Day 64, 3.5.11., Meantime - I.P.A.

Across the straits of Carquinez, from my home town of Benicia here in Solano County, is the tiny village of Port Costa.  It's home to about 245 people, as well as one of the coolest old biker/dive/honky-tonk kinda bars around: The Warehouse café.  There's a juke box, a pool table, tons of crap on the walls and ceiling and a taxidermied polar bear in a glass case.  Oh, also they have a pretty awesome beer list.
This trip out to the Warehouse, I tried a beer from England called Meantime IPA.  I've tried the coffee porter from Meantime before and found it pretty terrific, so i was excited to give the IPA a try.
It's a Gold cloudy ale with a decent head. (although, The Warehouse offered only a mason jar to drink in out of, so the appearance of the beer may have been compromised)
The dry hop character definitely manifests itself in the bitterness, but the hop character is rather reserved in aroma and flavor.  And the bitterness is well integrated. 
Compared to my usual Pacific Coast IPAs, this one is extremely reserved.  It's a delicious bitter ale, and is a terrific easy drinker.  Nice.
8 out of 10

Day 63, 3.4.11., Lindemans Pêche Lambic

Lambic is a style of beer that originates in the Pajottenland region just outside Brussels in central Belgium.  It's a 'wild beer' style meaning that yeast is not manually added to the wort, but instead the hot wort is traditionally allowed to cool in shallow trays, where wild yeast blown in on the breeze finds it's way into the wort.  Beer made with this process of fermentation is also sometimes called farmhouse ale, after the practice of fermenting in attics and other available spaces in farmhouses in the Belgian countryside. 
But what sets lambic apart from other wild ales is that after fermentation, fresh whole fruit is added to lambic giving it fruit flavors as the main aroma and flavor characteristics.  Traditionally, this was done in order to mask the off flavors that result from wild fermentation.
Although lambic style beers are now made the world over, Lambic actually has terroir like Champagne does, and only wild fruit beers made in the Pajottenland region are technically Lambic.  Lindemans is one of the most widely available Lambics here in the US.
The Pêche (peach) variety poured light amber and fairly clear, with a big fat fluffy white head.  The nose is, not surprisingly, all fruit.  The nose comes through as dried stone fruit, peach and apricot.  But there's also some aromas of sour apple.
On the palate, the beer is quite sweet.  Peach undoubtedly is the primary flavor, with very little hop bitterness or malt flavors.  But there's also cider flavors and some funky, sour nearly rotting notes.  This is presumably a result of the Brettanomyces wild yeast.
This is an interesting style, not one that I'd necessarily drink more than one glass of, but fun to try.
6 out of 10.

Day 62, 3.3.11., Gulden Draak

Here's a beer I've been meaning to drink for a really long time.  My brother John swears by it.  It's a dark Belgian strong ale called Gulden Draak.  It pours very dark amber brown with a thick creamy head.  The nose offers aromas of caramel or burnt sugar as well as dark dried fruit and Belgian yeast.  Alcohol is also prevalent on the nose, which is not surprising for a beer that comes in at 10.5% ABV.
On the palate, this beer is big and malty, with the alcohol content also playing a big role here too.  There's dried fruit and candied fruit flavors that finish off the alcohol notes and round it down nicely. It's sweet, but not overbearing, with some bitter character on the back palate and some interesting sour fruity notes. The sourness is really rather strong, a sour cherry kind of flavor that tweeks the back of the tongue.
I will say that this beer is definitely not my general preferred style, (it's much too sweet and malty) but I think it's a very well executed ale.  It's strong and interesting, but not all that complex.  
7 out of 10

Day 61, 3.2.11., Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier - Märzen

Rauchbier is a new style to me.  It breaks down into Rauch (German for 'smoke') and bier ('beer').  So, as you may be able to guess, this märzen is smoky.  Märzen or märzenbier is a German style meaning March beer.  The term refers to a beer brewed between September 29th and April 23, and traditionally lagered (aged) in caves or stone cellars until the following October.  Generally, märzen is a brown , malty, full bodied beer.  To aid in preserving the beer it is generally is quite hoppy or has a high original gravity.
Aecht Schlenkerla fits these standards to a t.  It's big and brown and has a nose like a campfire.  On the palate, there are some nice bitter notes, and the smokiness is omnipresent.
Although intense, the smoke is pretty well integrated. There's a touch of sweetness that balances the BIG smoke character.  Still this beer is absolutely all about smoke.
I've only ever had a couple of smoked beers before, but this one certainly features the best use of smoked malt that I've tasted.  An interesting and unique beer.  6 out of 10.

Day 60, 3.1.11., Mikkeller - Big Worse

The more I learn and taste of Mikkeller, the faster this brewery ascends to the pinnacle of my list of most favorite brewers.  Avid readers will remember their name from a past entry in this blog for Mikkeller 1000 IBU, which I awarded 9 out of 10.  It's one of two beers which have received such a high score from me, and none have received a 10.
I finally got around to looking at the Mikkeller website too, and read a bit of back-story too.  It's pretty awesome; here's the long and short.  So two Danish buddies, Mikkel Borg Bjergsø and Kristian Klarup Keller (hence Mik-Keller, get it?) started the brewery in 2006 and the same year were called the fifth best brewery in the world, and the Danish Brewery of the Year.  Damn.

And here's the kicker, from what I understand, there is no brewery.  Bjergsø (who is now the sole man behind the beer) is referred to as a gypsy brewer, meaning he travels around the world making awesome beer on other breweries' equipment.  He's a brewhouseguest.  To put it simply, he has the worlds coolest job.  And if you take a look at the list of beers Mikkeller has produced,  you'll find 196 beers.  196 different beers produced for distribution in 5 years.  Damn.
So Big Worse is a barley wine made to be the big brother to their other barley wine called Big Bad.  (The name on the bottle actually reads 'Big Bad worse').  It's in a nice big bottle with a cork and cage.  I poured it into the glass to find a dark brown, muddy looking beer with a very thin layer of creamy beige head.  The head subsided quite quickly and left a beer very light in carbonation.  The nose has some musky notes, and some over-ripe red fruit aroma.  There's some alcohol aroma too; not surprising in a 12% ABV beer.
The beer is thick on the palate, and has an aggressive bitter punch.  A big malty sweetness plays a supporting role, and balances the flavors nicely.  It's at once mouthwatering and somehow biting and puckering.  An incredibly complex and intriguing beer.  Terrific, just terrific. 8 out of 10



ps. I drank a pint of this beer.  I am now drunk.

Day 59, 2.28.11., Sapporo - Reserve

So I often go out to eat with my good friends Kelly and Shane, and a regular choice, (especially late-night after work) is sushi.  One night recently, Shane ordered Asahis for the table.  "no,no," I stopped the waiter, "make mine a Sapporo."  Now aside from making me feel like the lead businessman in a cheesy Sapporo commercial, I also got a fair bit of grief from Shane and the others for actually having a preference between the two main Japanese lagers that I believe are available at every Sushi place ever.  But for whatever reason (even I cannot say exactly why) I have always preferred Sapporo over Asahi.  One day I'll have to do a side by side tasting.
So when I saw Sapporo Reserve I figured I'd better give it a try.  The difference, from what I can gather, between the Reserve and the regular is that the Reserve is an all-malt beer.  All-malt means that only malted barley is used to make up the fermetables in the beer.  What this likely means in the case of Sapporo Reserve is that they aren't using any rice.  One source I read said that it does in fact follow the  German purity law, meaning that only water, barley and hops are used in making the beer. 
Enough about that, how is Sapporo Reserve?
Pouring it into the glass from the big steal can, I noticed it's a bit darker than Sapporo Premium (the 'regular' Sapporo) with a big creamy head.  It has a lovely fruity nose.  There's some citrus and some floral hop aroma.  On the palate, the beer has plenty more of hops, certainly more than its Premium cousin.  The hop character is nice and bitter and well integrated.  There's a bit of citrus sourness too.  It has a bigger body too, with a really nice silky, velvety body.  Actually that's probably one of it's best attributes.
At any rate, I think this is  a really good Japanese lager in the European style.  I'll definitely ask for it next time I'm out with Shane... "Make mine a Sapporo Reserve please!"
8 out of 10

Day 58, 2.27.11., Full Sail - LTD Series #04

So, according to the information on the bottle, Full Sail is now producing a line of special limited edition beers dubbed 'LTD'.  I picked up a bottle at Trader Joe's.  This one is Recipe #04 and is a single malt single hop beer featuring pale malt and Willamette hops.
It's a nice thought, but I feel like this one just a little boring.   I guess if you just wanna sit and split a six-pack, this one is a fine choice.  It's a golden yellow beer with a medium amount of white head that left a bit of lacing.
On the nose there is a little caramel and some subtle citrus notes, lemon and orange.
The palate offers some very nice dry, sharp hop bitterness.  There's a touch of some honey, but not really enough of this malty backing to really make it a great beer.  It's fine. 

45 IBU, 7% ABV, 6 out of 10

Day 57, 2.26.11., Rahr & Sons - Ass Kisser Double IPA

So my pal Derek has been ranting and raving about Rahr & Sons for a while now.  He never seems to have a glass or a bottle in an outstretched hand when he does rant and rave though, so I have yet to try them.   Rahr & Sons opened in 2004 in Forth Worth, Texas and currently produces 5000 barrels per year in a dozen or more styles.

Today I tried their Ass Kisser Double IPA.  It's a fairly cloudy amber beer with a nice lacy white head.  On the nose, this beer offers spicy hops and caramel as well as sherry notes and dried plum.  On the palate, Ass Kisser has a full fruity body with some intense, concentrate, dried fruit flavors.  Maybe some apricot and more plum.  All of that accompanies a big hop bitterness that finishes leaving the mouth dry.
There's lot's going on in this beer, but It's not spectacular.  Definitely good, and from what I gather pretty damn exceptional if judged against the other Texas brews.  I will also say that Ass Kisser is some sort of specialty beer coming from Rahr.  It's not listed on their website as either a 'year round' or 'seasonal' offering, and the packaging is completely different from the others.  So I'm eager to try some of their more conventional offerings.
9%ABV, 7 out of 10

Day 56, 2.25.11., Sheaf Stout

I pick up Sheaf Stout at the Harvest Market in downtown Mendocino.  It's a cool little old school market/general store with a pretty good beer selection.  I love places like this.   I've never seen this bottle before before.  It's from Australia.
This is a deep, dark black stout.  No light gets through this badboy.  It has a creamy beige head.  Basically it appears just like a good stout should.
And it continues down the right path.  The nose is full of coffee and smoked spice.  There's a very interesting aroma in this beer of smoked, dry chilies.  Very intriguing.
Sheaf has a a big strong bitterness that's nestled oh-so nicely among a very round and slightly sweet malt body.  It's a terrific stout, albeit one on the sweet/cream/milk side of the stout spectrum.
I really like this beer.  Such a pleasant surprise to pick up a random beer, just because it was the only one on the shelf I hadn't tasted/seen, and have it turn out to be one of my new favorite stouts.  Kudos, Australia.  I can only assume that the brewery is run by koalas, kangaroos and the entire cast of the Road Warrior, but they are doing something right.
9 out of 10

Day 55, 2.24.11., Ninkasi - Spring Reign

Ninkasi is a great brewer from Eugene, Oregon named for the ancient Sumerian goddess of beer.  What a babe.

Spring Reign is a seasonal release marketed as a session beer that everyone can enjoy.  And I think they hit this nail on the head.  It's a hazy orange/Amber beer with a big aggressive white head.  In fact, it attempted to leap out of the bottle when I pried the cap off.  I stopped it with my mouth. 
Also, when I poured it in the glass, one of the first thing I noticed was a pretty high amount of sediment.  It looks like malt sediment.  The nose has some lovely floral hop aromas, as well as honey and toasty malt.  On the palate, there's a bunch of hop bitterness that is so well integrated it's ridiculous.  The body is not overly heavy, but the malt is there to really round it out nicely.
The brewer intended this to be a session beer for everyone, and with its light-ish body and easy drinking nature coupled with some serious flavor character, they really got it right.  An awesome beer.  Highly recommended.
8 out of 10.

Day 54, 2.23.11, Thirsty Bear - Polar Bear Pils

As you may have noticed in the Anderson Valley posts a few day ago, I've become ok with tasting and writing about multiple beers from the same brewery consecutively.  So there you go.  That's what I'm gonna do.
While at Thirsty Bear, I also took their Polar Bear Pils for a spin.  This is a classic pale yellow pils, with a light bit of head.  It's crystal clear.  On the nose, there is little hop aroma, but a good amount of yeasty notes. 
The hops come through later though, on the palate.  There's a good amount of bitterness.  It's quite clean, with only a small amount of sourness and lagery yeasty flavor.
This is a fine beer.  Very easy drinking, just rather boring .
35IBUs, 5.7ABV, 6 out of 10.

Day 53, 2.22.11., Thirsty Bear - Cask Conditioned Meyer ESB

So I've worked in the SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco for about three months now and am just now getting around to trying out Thirsty Bear, a brew pub that lives just a few blocks from my place of employ.  I know very little about the place, except for the fact that they have an awesome logo of an ursine beast dumping a punt down it's gaping gullet.  Bears always eat things all at once. 
So John and I stopped in for a few tastes the other afternoon.  It seems like a pretty cool spot with a fairly typical pub menu (although we didn't eat) and about 7 beers on various taps.  I went straight for the cask conditioned ale, because I think I really love it.  As we drank though, we discussed whether I actually only like the idea of cask conditioning and hand pumping.*  I think I'd better continue drinking beer until I figure it out.
This day they had their Meyer ESB on the hand pump.  It's an interesting beer.  The nose has some very interesting grassy, earthy hop notes as well as dried flower.  It's deep amber with some very fluffy foamy white head. 
As the style's name suggests (Extra Special Bitter) this is quite a nicely bittered beer.  Occasionally the bitterness comes across sour as well.  It's all balanced out nicely with full malty backing and some intriguing smokiness.
It seemed like each sit of this beer was different that the last, which made it a fun beer to drink.
30IBUs, 6.4%ABV, 7 out of 10.



*Cask conditioned or real-ale means that the cask the beer is stored in is also a vessel in which the beer is conditioned.  Residual live yeast allows for secondary fermentation, giving the beer a very light effervescence and helping to mellow the beer.  No carbon-dioxide or nitrogen is added and the beer is drawn out of the cask and into the glass via a hand pump.  The bartender literally pumps the tap handle up and down to exchange the outside air for the beer in the cask.  Also, the casks are kept at cellar temperature.  So the result is essentially a warmish flattish beer with a creamier head and some interesting added character.  It's a British thing.

Day 52, 2.21.11., Hinano

Here's a beer from Tahiti.  Another bottle of beer that's more well traveled than I am.  The official website calls it a 'Deluxe Lager' at 5% ABV.  I would sooner call it a 'blond lager' at 5% ABV.

Regular readers of this blog will remember that I have a rocky relationship with beers from the tropics.  We're ever dubious of each other.  Actually, I'm not sure how it feels about me; I'm dubious.
But here's the good news: Hinano is terrific.
It's a cloudy blond with a big white head.  On the nose, there are fruity notes, including some interesting sweet lemon aromas.
The flavor of the beer offers some of the yeastyness that I generally associate with lagers, and it's very well integrated into a beer with enough body to keep its character interesting but keep it nice and refreshing. 
It's really well hopped to, with the perfect amount of bitterness.  This beer is a perfect refreshing lager to enjoy on a hot day.  Or perhaps a hot location.  Like Tahiti.  Pairs nicely with lawn chairs.
7 out of 10

Day 51, 2.20.11., Piraat Ale

Here's a weird little beer: Piraat Ale.  With a name like that, I thought this was going to be a bad joke of a beer from some bad joke of a domestic brewery.  No Sir, this beer Sir, is Belgian Sir.

It's an amber/red hazy ale with a nice big white head.  On the nose, there is some spice notes, like clove, coriander, maybe a tiny cardamom hint.  There are some musky aromas too, and over ripe fruit notes of apricot and sour cherry.
The body is fairly big and with a good amount of maltyness.   There's a strong peppery bitterness that shifts into a sour character that lingers looooong on the finish.  Unfortunately it's not (to me) the  appealing kind of sourness, but the kind that compromises the beer's balance. 
It's an ok beer, but not very well refined.  5 out of 10.

Day 50, 2.19.11., Anderson Valley Brewing - Nettied Madge Black IPA

One more from AVBC before we move on, Nettied Madge Black IPA.  This one means well dressed prostitute, my favorite kind.
I've been really into Black IPAs lately.  It's just such a match made in heaven: nice dark roastyness and big hops.  For me, that is pretty much exactly what I want in a beer.  well, quite often anyway.
This one is nice and dark black with good creamy beige head.  On the nose, this beer has a good amount of coffee, and subtle hints of burnt sugar and vanilla.  The last two are way back in there, and then occasionally you get a nice little tiny whiff.  Totally cool. 
The body is not overly heavy, I'd say medium-light, which makes it nice and easy drinking.  but it's big on roasty character and big on hops.  The hop bitterness is really nice and clean.  Nice beer.
7 out of 10.

Day 49, 2.18.11, Anderson Valley Brewing - Wee Geech

Finally had a chance to visit the brewery up there in Boonville, and damn it's awesome.  They have a full-on visitor's center with a bar and maybe 15 taps.  The brewery itself looks pretty sweet.  Although I wasn't there at the right time for the tour, the huge windows in their brewhouse nicely show off their huge copper mash/lauter tuns and kettles.  Cool.  They also have disc golf, which I've never played (since I'm not a filthy, stinky hippy) but now I kinda want to because I realized it fits nicely into my favorite category of sports: Sports-that-are-best-played-while-holding-a-beer.  (see list below)
Back to the beer.

Wee Geech, I'm told, is Boontling for little sex, or a quicky.  I also found out that Poleeko is the Boontling word for Philo, the town up the road from Boonville.  So there you go.

Wee Geech is a pale ale that could cross over into IPA territory.  It's a pale yellow ale with a nice lacy head.  It's got a terrific sharp spicy hop nose and some slightly clovey spice.  Ther's some subtle orange oil.  The light/medium bodied beer has a sharp, mouth drying hop bitterness that lingers so delightfully on the back palate.  I loved this beer.
8 out of 10.





Sports-that-are-best-played-while-holding-a-beer  OR  My-favorite-sports:
-Bocce Ball
-Bowling
-Darts
-Billiards
-Frisbee
-Dominoes
-Croquet
-Horseshoes
-Kayaking
-Kite flying
-Lawn darts
-Lawn chair occupying 

Day 48, 2.17.11, North Coast Brewing - Cask Conditioned Red Seal Ale

We stopped into the pub/tasting room in Fort Bragg's North Coast Brewing Company.  I'm always excited to visit a brewery, because oftentimes they have beers on tap that aren't otherwise available.  Such was not the case with North Coast, as I'd had all twelve of their offerings previously, save one: the cask conditioned version of their flagship red/pale ale, Red Seal.
Our bartender worked her tail off hand pumping glasses and pints for the Sunday lunch rush.  She was also busy pouring 12 item samplers about once every five minutes or so.  We collectively kept her on her toes.  Well done, we appreciate it!
It was forced from it's cask into a glass of nearly solid head, which slowly cascaded into a beautiful copper red beer with a nice dense foamy white head.
There is plenty of malt on the nose, as well as some bitter orange and a touch of hops.
The hops come through much more fully on the palate, and is nicely rounded into a beer with some nice malt body and a fair amount of citric sour character.  I've always thought Red Seal was a decent basic red ale, but I really did  prefer it cask conditioned.  It was just lightly effervescent, but with a nice creamy head and not overly cold.  7 out of 10

Day 47, 2.16.11., Anderson Velley Brewing, Poleeko Gold

A trip up to the Mendocino coast for the weekend resulted in tasting several beers from the area's two micro brew stars, North Coast Brewing and Anderson Valley.  More on North Coast later.
On our way north, we stopped in Point Arena for a little lunch.  As we drove into town, Lesley and I discussed what we wanted for lunch: clam chowder in a bread bowl for her, and a beer for me.  No sooner than we voiced these desires, this is the sign we saw:

Sometimes things work out.

The food was pretty solid pub fare, and the beer selection pretty good, although the selection was nearly exclusively North Coast and Anderson Valley.  They're both good, but up here, they are the only beers you see on any taps.
I tried Poleeko Gold this time, a pale ale from Anderson Valley.  It has a nice nose with hints of grapefruit, sweet maltiness and acidic notes.  The body is on the full side of medium and has good bitterness backed up by just a hint of honey malt.  All that part is nice, but this pint had a definite skunky,  funkyness to it.  Unfortunately it was the kind of defect that comes with not cleaning your taps often enough.  Other than that, it's a nice easy drinking pale ale.  It'd be a good beer when you're planning on drinking a six-pack.  Fair beer.  6 out of 10.

Day 46, 2.15.11., Hitochino - Real Ginger Brew

Ever since the first taste of Hitachino Nest White Ale, I've recommended it whenever I've had a chance.  And anxiously, I've tried all the varieties I can find.

The Real Ginger Beer is a cloudy red amber beer with a creamy white head.  On the nose, you guessed it, big ginger aroma.  It's a spicy ginger too, like those crunchy hard ginger snaps.  The beer has a nice malty body, with more spicy ginger on the palate.  It also has some intense sourness that almost coated my tongue on the finish, a pretty distracting way to end each sip.
All in all this is a really fun delicious beer, but it just was not as amazing as I've come to expect a Hitachino beer to be. (based on the White Ale, and the Espresso Stout I've tasted)
This beer is pretty good.  Worth a shot if you're looking for a beer that's a bit out of the ordinary.
6 out of 10.

Day 45, 2.14.11., Maui Brewing - Coconut Porter

I think it actually tastes better when served like this...

While we're drinking porters, here's another.  Maui Brewing makes this one with toasted coconut, puts it in cans and ships it back to the main land.  I've tried a couple others from Maui Brewing, and have found them pretty good.
This porter is a little heavier than St. Peter's, and has a bit more sweetness.  It poured dark black and pretty viscous.  The head is thick, off-white and quite creamy, just lovely.  On the nose, there's really nice notes of dark roast coffee beans, and hints of sweetness, caramel and maple syrup. 
On the palate, the dark malts are certainly present, and a good bit of hop bitterness is there too.  Some slight sweet notes round out the beer really nicely.  I didn't really identify any of the flavors or aromas as coconut specifically, but it didn't undermine the beer for me.  Quite good.  7 out of 10.

A word on cans:  I love good beer in cans.  Environmentally friendly, easy to pack, good for the beer.  These are some of my favorite canning micro brewerys:
Maui
21st Amendment
Oskar Blues
Big Sky Brewing
Anderson Valley Brewing
Try 'em out.

Day 44, 2.13.11., St. Peter's - Old-Style Porter

Here's a line of beer's that always looks interesting on the store shelves; St. Peter's.  It's a brewery up and running in Suffolk England since 1996.   It comes in a cute little squat bottle with an oval label.  From what I understand, they produce lots of classic styles including stouts, porters, and bitters and then some fruit beers and even a gluten free.  Today I'm giving the Old-Style Porter a try.

Now I will say this, porter is not one of my favorite styles, so it's not one I have a lot of experience with, and therefore don't know a whole lot about.  I consulted Beer Advocate to find that porter is one of the first beers that was 'engineered' to suit the public's taste.  In the late 1700's brewers made a dark, strong ale by blending three beers, including one old stale ale.  Also, dark malts were added to hide imperfections and cloudiness in the beer.
So the results are a dark brown beer, light-ish in body and a solid acid character from the old stale beer.  And based on these quick notes, St. Peter's seems to be right on target.
The Old-Style Porter is deep amber brown with quite a thin bubbly head.  (seems appropriate considering it's 1/3 flat beer)  It's nice and roasty, but easy to drink and medium bodied.  The palate has lots of that roasty character, along with plenty of nice hoppieness, with strong bitter and acidic finish.  A nice little beer. 7 out of 10.

Day 43, 2.12.11, Harvey & Son - Imperial Double Extra Stout - 2003

I was very excited about this beer.  Harvey & Son's  Imperial Double Extra Stout.  I mean it's a four word name containing three descriptors.  It sounded awesome.
It was not awesome.  I only realized just after pulling the cork that this was a 2003 vintage beer, questionable even for a 13% barley wine, but here we have a 9% ABV stout.  It's 8 years old, and just past its prime.
This beer poured inky black, a good start!  But when I saw almost zero head, I was suspicious.  On the nose, dried purple fruit and balsamic vinegar...
I tentatively sipped and was met with aggressive sour cherry character, more vinegar and sherry.  The sherry notes were actually not bad, but they were way to strong, and with everything else going on, it was just undrinkable.  And I tried, I choked down about a third of it before it was pitched in the kitchen sink.
I like where they were headed with this beer, but it was just too far gone.  I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for a 2008+ vintage.  So for being absolutely awful and still making me want to try another one, I award 2 out of 10.

Day 42, 2.11.11, Hermitage - Ale of the IMP

Trying a beer today that I've been curious about.  Bev-Mo carries a whole line of beers from Hermitage Brewery, which is the distribution side of Tied House Pub down in San Jose.  It sounds like Tied House does a bunch of contract brewing, and likely I've had stuff that they brew and didn't know it.  One of their projects is Coastal Fog, a brand they make exclusively for Bev-Mo.  I wonder whether the same is true of Hermitage.
This beer is their IMPerial IPA.  (Get it?)  It is cloudy amber in color and has a substantial white foamy head.  On the nose, floral hops are first up, and in a big way.  But it also smells surprisingly malty
The malt doesn't materialize on the palate much though as the hops again take center stage.  They are very spicy and quite bitter.  With the malt flavor falling flat and the beer having really not much of a body to speak of, it's fairly unbalanced.  Not a bad stab at a very hoppy beer, but a bit too aggressive to enjoy.  Even for a hop-head like me.  5 out of 10.

Day 41, 2.10.11., Xingu

Here's a weird beer: Xingu black beer from Brazil.  My general rule of thumb again with the beer of equatorial tropical climates: proceed with caution.  It's certainly black, as promised, and completely opaque too.  It poured into the glass with very little beige head.  I don't think I've ever tried a beer  this dark from a warm climate country.  Good on ya Brazil.
The nose is subtle, but once you let it warm up a bit and then really get your nose in there, it's all mapley and malty.  There's definitely some brûlée sugar aroma too.  The body is rather thin compared to it's color.  There's not much going on in the palate, a little dark malt bite and then a sour fade out... disappointing.  This is another one of those beers that's not bad, it's just not a standout.
It's fine.  An extra point awarded for the Brazilian people attempting a beer other than the standard clear light lager.
6 out of 10.

Day 40, 2.9.11., Innis & Gunn - Scottish Oak Aged Ale

This was a Christmas gift from my wife's Uncle Walter and Aunt Zita.  They travel to Canada quite a bit and picked this up in Vancouver.  Innis & Gunn Scottish Oak Aged Ale is a limited release beer produced in Scotland in celebration of Canada Day, a holiday with a ridiculous sounding name.  It's a partial rye mash beer that is aged in Canadian whiskey barrels. 

The small (12oz-ish) bottle came in it's own little red box (which is probably for the best since they use clear glass).  It's a dark red beer with a little bit of fluffy white head.  On the nose, smoke and caramel lead and give way to hints of vanilla and a bit of dried stone fruits. 
The body to me was fairly light, especially compared to other oak aged beer I've had.  These beers tend to be stouts, and big barley wines.
It's a malty beer though, with the palate offering brown sugar maltyness and a definite oakyness.  There are hints of the rye as well, sharper notes that could be mistaken for the malt bitterness that is also present.  That malt bitterness finishes the palate, lingering after each sip. 
This is an interesting little beer, with a lot going on and some true character.  7 out of 10.

Day 39, 2.8.11., Blanche de Bruxelles

I often think to myself "Gee, I sure like beer, but it just lacks that 'infant taking a piss' character that I so desire".  We, thankfully, there is Blanche de Bruxelles.  This is a witbier made by the Lefebvre Brewery, just outside Brussels (or Bruxelles, you know...).  As I eluded to before, this beer's label features a urinating youth.  Or cherub or something.  It's down there, you figure it out.

But inside the bottle this wit (hefeweizen in German, wheat beer in English) is brewed with coriander and bitter orange peel.  It's light, almost cloudy white.  On the nose, the orange and spice certainly come through very distinctly.  There is no hops to speak of either on the nose or palate, and the main flavors in the beer are fruity and light.  This beer is pretty and easy drinking.  It's a definite front porch beer, a light summer session beer.  (It's just 4.5% ABV)  Not one of my favorite styles, but a decent beer.  It's not much of a standout.  6 out of 10.

I've tried nearly everything at Bloodhound... maybe next time I'll get to enjoy a stone IPA.  I'm fine with that.

Day 38, 2.7.11., 21st Amendment - Lord and Master

Stopped in to 21st Amendment Brewing Company in San Francisco's south of market neighborhood. Come to think of it, 21st is where I had the first beer of this project back on 1.1.11.
Going on now at the brewery is Strong Beer Week, which of course showcases beers in the 8%, 9%+ range.  This day I tried Lord & Master, a beer that the brewers call a 'strong English blonde'.  But to my taste, it seems like more of an amber.  It's a deep amber red and opaque.
This beer has a sweet malt nose with some citrusy orange notes.  And on the palate, it's delightfully bitter with strong, palate drying hop character.  The hops come through nice and spicy which balances nicely against a pretty full bodied beer.  It is 8.7% ABV and 65 IBUs.
The bartender was also kind enough to fill me in on their strong beer week punch card.  Try all the strong beers at 21st and Magnolia and keep the commemorative tulip glass.  One down, eleven to go.
8 out of 10

Day 37, 2.6.11., Russian River Brewing - Pliney the Younger

I have long been a fan of Russian River's über hoppy double IPA Pliny the Elder.  It's something of a  legend among west coast hop-heads like myself.
But once a year, (around this time) Russian River releases a short run of their triple IPA, Pliny the Younger.  I don't know exactly what the quantity produced is, but it's not a lot.  In fact, I'm told that last years entire stock was gone in eight short hours.  So this year, they put the kibosh on growlers (it comes on draft only) and allocated a certain number of kegs daily for a two week run.  So with the confidence that they'd have a glass available upon my arrival, my brother John and I took the one hour drive north to Santa Rosa, just to drink beer.
The Russian River Brewery is a great spot.  A storefront building in Santa Rosa's quaint downtown.  It's not big, with well more than half of the small building devoted to brewing.  As we walked down the block, we could clearly smell the beautiful aroma of barley mashing on the breeze...  lovely. 
Back to the Pliny.  My understanding in that both Plinys get a healthy dose of Simcoe hops in the boil as well as in multiple rounds of dry hopping.  Simcoe is a newish hybrid from the pacific northwest that features fruity apricot notes, floral notes and resiny pine characteristics.  An there is no shortage off all that in the Plinys.
Pliny the Younger is pale golden in color and is fairly clear with nice lacy white head.  It's incredibly bitter (the brewery lists IBUs as 'Gobs') but has nice balance provided by the velvety full malty body.  There's a touch of honey there, and it offsets the bitterness just so nicely.  It's quite a strong beer too, weighing in at 10.25%ABV.
All in all, this beer is VERY similar to my old friend Pliny the Elder, with the big difference between the two being that the Younger simply has more.  More Hops.  More Malt.  More Alcohol.  It's intense, I'll definitely say that.  But I think it's a really pretty beer, with a huge amount of floral flavor and aroma.
I've always considered the Elder to be a pretty strong beer (it's 8% ABV), and fairly intense.  But after comparing the two side by side, Elder almost starts to drink like an easy session sipper.  So mellow and crisp it is next to it's Younger nephew.
Pliny the Younger is certainly something special.  It's a wonderful beer that features hops to the fullest.  It's really fun to drink, and whether by design or not, it's got a hype and mystique around it that makes you feel privileged to hoist a glass.
9 out of 10.

"Pliny the Elder was a Roman naturalist, scholar, historian, traveler, officer, and writer. Although not considered his most important work, Pliny and his contemporaries created the botanical name for hops, "Lupus salictarius", meaning wolf among scrubs." Hops at that time grew wild among willows, much like a wolf in the forest. Later the current botanical name, Humulus lupulus, was adopted. Pliny died in 79 AD while observing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. He was immortalized by his nephew, Pliny the Younger, who continued his uncle's legacy by documenting much of what he observed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius."

-From the Russian River Brewing website

Day 36, 2.5.11., Lost Abbey - Serpent's Stout

I stopped by to say hey to Charlie over at the Trappist.  He wasn't there, so I had a beer anyway.  The nice young lady behind the bar told me that Serpent's Stout is one of her favorites on the current tap list so I grabbed a glass.
Lost Abbey is a part of Port Brewing, located just north of San Diego.  I think this is the first beer I've tried from them, although I've had a few from Port.
Serpent's stout is an absolutely lovely (Imperial?) stout.  It's rich and creamy and black and opaque with a gorgeous velvety beige head.  The nose is dusty with hints of chocolate and coffee.  If you've ever tried a very high percentage cacao chocolate bar (70%+), you know that chocolaty mouth drying bitterness.  That flavor is all over the body of this beer.  It's 10.5% ABV, but the beer comes off very smooth and leaves you with only a hint of just how much alcohol it contains.  This is just a really nice, well made stout.  I like this beer very much.  8 out of 10.

Day 35, 2.4.11., Wells - Banana Bread Beer

As you know, I really like beer.  As you may not know, I also really like banana bread.  My mom makes killer banana bread.
When I saw this beer on the shelf, I thought 'hmm, I don't want to drink that'.  But of course I bought a bottle to try since I had never tried it before.   I've certainly tried some hefeweizens that have a distinct banana-esc flavor.  Other than that, I don't really think the two (bananas and beer) have any business hanging out.  I fully expected this beer to be bad to the point of undrinkability...

Wells banana bread beer is a crisp, clear Amber ale.  As expected, the nose is fairly fake banana, like Laffy Taffy.  Banana flavor is less prevelant on the palate, where it's there but quite subtle.  It's accompanied by a fair amount of nice spicy hops character.
In addition to the banana and hop flavors, the beer is actually kind of nice and fruity, not specifically banana flavor only, just general fruitieness.  There's some slight malt sweetness, but it serves to keep the hop bite in check. 
Responsible use of banana flavor makes this a decent beer.  It's actually quite a bit  better than I thought it would be. 5 out of 10.       

Day 34, 2.3.11., Baltika - 6 - Porter

Baltika is a beer brand out of Russia, which appears to be a pretty major brand in the former USSR.  I base this assumption on their HILARIOUS website which features the following:

-Hip club beats
-White sand beaches and crystal blue waters
-Jetskis
-Low-rise jeans
-Wet transparent shirts barely covering the breasts of a model

So I can only assume that the Baltika brand is something like the Budweiser of Russia.  With two major differences.  First, Baltika comes in a myriad of styles, from light lagers to this porter to stout.  And they're numbered for your convenience (porter is 6).  Secondly Baltika differs heavily from Budweiser in that it is really very good.
I found the porter to be an almost textbook example of a porter.  It is dark in color yet light in body and has notes of coffee and molasses on the nose.  On the palate is a quite strong malt bitterness, along with roasty notes.  It finishes smooth and dry.  It's just lovely.  A surprisingly high 8 out of 10.